Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Local band Shearwater will be playing an in-store at Waterloo Records in a few hours. Their newest disc is called Rook and if you ask me that's some of the best cover art I've seen in years. It's such a disturbing image isn't it?

Shearwater is a side-project band of Okkervil River, intended to be the more folky, dramatic, serious off-shoot. Rook is the bands 5th full length release and only the second on Matador Records. Their last album, Palo Santo saw a deluxe re-issue when the band was picked up by Matador last year.

If you've never heard Shearwater, some of the words I might use to describe their sound: haunting, evocative, dramatic, sorrowful. I'd say they sound somewhat like The National, or maybe Bruce Springsteen when he is using lots of piano. They also have a bit of a post-glam Bowie thing going on. In any case, check them out before the critics eat this up and spit it out. And if you're in Austin, check 'em out for free at Waterloo @ 5pm.